I could sure use some input. I am a U-9 girls soccer coach. I have played soccer my whole life and coached for 15 years.
We had a very physical team where playing against and things were getting rough. Many indirect kicks on both side of ball.
A player form the other team was injured near our sideline and the coach came out to attend to her injury. One of my parents made the comment, "The bigger they are the harder they fall". Of course this was
a totally inappropriate comment and I don't condone this kind of thing. Before I could get a word out of my mouth to talk to the parent the opposing team coach started yelling at my sideline
about what a lousy thing that was to say, etc. I wasn't going to say anything at all and just let it go (I wish I would have).
He then began to tell the ref she better make notes about this and on and on. All this is
occurring in front of my sideline with all the players and parents. The ref was not saying a word and I
commented, "Coach you are right that was an inappropriate thing to say.
Can we just play on?" At this point I felt I had to say something to get this to stop. After that he had a few more verbal zings he threw at me and my team and trotted of to his sideline again telling the ref to make a note of my teams conduct. This all
happened very quickly and I thought to myself I need to get a handle on this right now.
My parent knew he had stepped over the line and
apologized immediately to me about his comment and I asked the parent to just keep the comments to positive ones only.
Our team won a close game. We shake hands in the team line and I say "good game" and shake coaches hand.
After players had left the field and
were eating snacks, the coach came back over to my sideline where I am collecting balls and starts in again about the comment my parent made and did I condone that sort of thing. I tried to get a word in, but this guy is used to dominating the conversation. I did manage to
apologize again and tried to assure him that I didn't make the comment and have talked to the parent who did. He was not satisfied with this and just kept repeating the same thing. The ref has made a note of this. The ref was still in the field watching filling her score card out. Then the parent who made the comment came over and said "I was the
one who said it. I'm sorry about that." The coach then starts to get into a shouting match with the parent and I was helpless I didn't know what to do. So I just picked up my gear and was walking away and the ref comes and tells me she has made a note on the card
that I "need to work on my sportsmanship".
I can accept this, my parent was out of line. I am responsible for what goes on my sideline.
What I don't think was right was the coach coming over and to my sideline after
the game and continuing this verbal assault. This coach would not accept my
apology or my parent's. I think I should contact the commissioner and explain what
happened. We play this team again in spring season and I am worried.
